Unable to cross arms at communion

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When a non-Roman Catholic (or young catholic before their first communion) goes up for the Eucharist they are supposed to cross their arms to indicate they shouldn’t receive communion and get a blessing instead. All well and good.

Last time I went up I was carrying our 3 week old child so unable to cross my arms to indicate I should just receive the blessing. What’s the correct/most appropriate response in such a situation? I just shook my head, which seemed a little rude at the time. Is there a better way?
 
How about just holding your free arm clearly across your chest while cradling the baby in the other and slightly bowing your head to indicate your desire to get a blessing? Would that work?
 
No, the answer is not to ‘cross the arms to indicate not receiving’.

This was never a practice in the Church. If a person was not going to receive, the person stayed in the pew.

We all get a blessing from the priest at the end of the Mass. There is no need to get in line for communion and then instead of receiving, want to get a blessing.

This is not your fault. This was, as was the case in so many things, a result of a couple of ‘well-intentioned’ people, priests, DREs, etc., who wanted to make people feel ‘included’ even if they could not receive. And then some other well-intentioned people saw this and spread it to THEIR parishes. etc.

It is not necessary. It is not called for.

Simply stay in the pew. You aren’t getting ‘less’ than others if you cannot receive the Eucharist (you can make a ‘spiritual communion of prayer’ right from the pew). You are going to get a blessing at the end of Mass anyway.

And this way you don’t disrupt your child either.

Win-win situation.

If you are not receiving the Eucharist, I beg you, stay in your pew.
 
We all receive a blessing at the end of mass, there is really no need to go through the communion line if you are not going to receive. Also, only priests and deacons can give a blessing in that situation. So if you do want a blessing, go through a line with the priest or deacon, but again you will get a blessing at the end of mass, so it’s not really necessary.
 
Sorry, I was redundant, I hit reply after reading the op only.
 
It’s actually up to the local bishop whether he is ok with people going up for a blessing I think. I never understood the objection people have with others going up for a blessing.

I have talked to more people who are “moved” by the humility of those who go before the priest with their arms crossed, basically letting the whole congregation know that like the soldier in scripture “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof “
 
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Even if a bishop (you believe) were to give permission, it would not amount to a command, and in any case, that was not what I was addressing.

The best thing for this mother and child is to remain in the pew. Why? Because it is less disruptive for the child (less movement). Less disruptive for the mother (no need to worry about how to hold the child). Less disruptive for the priest/EMHC who is giving communion. Less disruptive for the rest of the congregation. And above all, because there is simply no need for the practice.

I’m sure that an individual bishop, without needing to give permission, could be asked by an individual priest, “I have a woman coming up for a blessing at communion, is it OK to bless her” and say 'Yes, go ahead". . . but that doesn’t amount to him say deciding, “All the faithful are to kneel from the Sanctus through the Great Amen”.

Again, though, it’s not about whether a bishop ‘can allow it’, it’s whether it is necessary for some poor woman with a 3 week old baby who does not, never did, and never will need to go up to 'get a blessing instead of communion, to have to haul herself and the baby up and worry about arm position, when she can simply, safely, obediently, without any loss to herself or disruption to the child, remain in the pew.

Capice?
 
I guess I was responding to the fact that children, prior to first communion go up to recieve blessings at many parishes in many provinces I have gone through/lived in.

I wasnt sure if the OP meant they were a non Roman Catholic and never would be because he mentioned children prior to first communion as well.

And I realize some people are adamantly opposed to the idea of people going up for blessings and that receiving a blessing isn’t a liturgical norm.
 
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stpurl said:
If you are not receiving the Eucharist, I beg you, stay in your pew.
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After a visiting priest nearly dropped the Host because my not receiving broke his rhythm, I decided that it was more important to not risk that than for me to go forward.
 
I agree with stpurl that one can just stay in the pew. The “cross your arms to receive a blessing” seems rather recent; I never remember seeing it growing up in the 1970s and 1980s.

Unfortunately, the subject of who does and doesn’t go to Communion sometimes becomes the subject of gossip.
 
Mtdobbs said:
And I realize some people are adamantly opposed to the idea of people going up for blessings and that receiving a blessing isn’t a liturgical norm.
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Some of us are adamantly opposed because it actually causes a lot more trouble than any supposed benefit that comes from it.

In particular there are two things that I’ve witnessed first hand happen due to this practice that absolutely should not happen: accidental communion/accidental or near dropping of the Eucharist, and non-communicants finding themselves in the line for the EMHC who then gives a blessing despite not being a priest and therefore incapable of imparting such a blessing.

Nothing at all is gained by this practice except a misplaced sense of inclusivity and some pretty serious stuff has the potential to go wrong. Please, treat the communion line as a communion line. If you’re not receiving stay in your pew.
 
Does it actually cause a lot of trouble? Could the priest not just say before communion that anybody who wants to receive a blessing to come up the middle isle with their arms crossed? Problem solved?

As for your opinion on it being a misplaced sense of inclusivity… you are more than welcome to hold that opinion.
 
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Interesting. While I knew a person could stay in the pew if they preferred, I always thought going up for a blessing was also a valid option. In our parish, it’s common for parents to take their children up with them and get a blessing. I see it less often in adults but it is done occasionally. Is this a matter of something that should be discouraged across the board or should people do whatever their particular parish permits?
 
“Even though some in the assembly may not receive ‘sacramental’ Communion, all are united in some way by the Holy Spirit. The Traditional idea of spiritual communion is an important one to remember and re-affirm. The invitation often given at Mass to those who may not receive sacramental communion — for example, children before their first communion and adults who are not Catholics — to receive a ‘blessing’ at the moment of Communion emphasizes that a deep spiritual communion is possible even when we do not share together the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ” (the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales)

I have found just as many dioceses that are against the practice as are for it .
 
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stpurl said:
It is not necessary. It is not called for.
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No, it isn’t called for. Of course with 70% of young people leaving the church in their teens or early twenties, eliminating the “foolish” inclusivity might raise that to 85%. Yea, get rid of letting little children, pre first communion, feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves.
stpurl said:
And above all, because there is simply no need for the practice.
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See above post.
AlbertDerGrosse said:
Nothing at all is gained by this practice except a misplaced sense of inclusivity and some pretty serious stuff has the potential to go wrong. Please, treat the communion line as a communion line. If you’re not receiving stay in your pew.
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Yea, let’s keep all those small children from doing something that makes them feel included instead of just another lump in a pew, chomping at the bit to get out of that boring church and home to play. I say not only get rid of that misplaced sense of inclusivity, BAN people with young children from trying to teach their little ones a thirst for inclusion in Christ’s table. Don’t even let them bring their little distractions to mass at all! How dare they offend the sensibilities of the Catholic Taliban who can’t stand anyone disturbing their sense of self righteous zeal.

Does anyone wonder what Christ sees when a five year old little boy or girl stands before him with their arms crossed in worship. Do you think he is as offended as the TradCats.

Just wonderin??……

Edited to say. I don’t really disagree with the comments on adults doing the crossed arms bit. I don’t think it really hurts anything, outside of the occasional mishap, but I might want to reserve it for little children.
 
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Relative to whatever benefit is obtained by doing it? Yes. Non-Catholics accidentally communing, Hosts accidentally dropping, and lay people giving blessings are objectively bad things no matter how infrequently they may occur. That they can and do is enough to take this very seriously.

Your approach to the problem could work, until people invariably use the other lines anyway. Our pastor has been trying for months to get people to be orderly when receiving communion in that he wants all of us to approach from the center aisle and leave back to our pews using the side aisles such that all the foot traffic is one way. There are still people either not listening or being stubborn. That foot traffic during communion isn’t flowing in one direction is a small problem, and its only a problem in as far as its against our pastor’s wishes, so whatever. The potential issues of accidental communion, accidental dropping of the Host, and lay people doling out blessings is not a small problem.

As far as a false sense of inclusivity is concerned, I can actually evidence it:

For someone to be truly included in something, they need to be gaining something others are getting that they themselves would otherwise not get without the act that leads to the inclusion. The reason for getting into a communion line is to receive communion. Even when non-Catholics or undisposed Catholics get in line for a blessing, they’re still not receiving the Eucharist (or at least they shouldn’t be). So what is gained? A blessing. But everyone receives the same blessing during the dismissal of the Mass, during the part of the liturgy that actually calls for a blessing. So let’s compare scenarios:

Scenario #1 - Non-Catholic/Undisposed Catholic approaches for a blessing:

They receive a blessing (at the rail) but not communion.
Others receive both communion and a blessing (at the end).

Scenario #2 - Non-Catholic/Undisposed Catholic remains in the pew during communion:

They receive a blessing (at the end) but not communion.
Others receive both communion and a blessing (at the end).

In either case the non-Catholic/undisposed Catholic is not included in communion but is included in a blessing, therefore going up during communion for a blessing is not genuinely inclusive.
 
Elizabeth3 said:
Interesting. While I knew a person could stay in the pew if they preferred, I always thought going up for a blessing was also a valid option. I
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It’s a valid option if the bishop and celebrating priest say it’s valid option. That doesn’t mean its a good idea or that it’s not a bad idea.
 
By the way, I strongly suspect that this is how the practice began in the first place. Parents brought their young children up with them to receive, because they’re too young to be left in the pews on their own, and some well meaning priests began imparting quick blessings to the little ones as mom and dad communed. This then snowballed into the current practice where everyone approaches for either a blessing or communion because, as @joeybaggz so eloquently and totally not emotionally demonstrated to us, not allowing this makes you a member of the Catholic Taliban. :roll_eyes:
 
“Both children and adults can make a spiritual communion. They may come forward with their arms crossed and bow before the Eucharist. Then the priest, deacon or extraordinary minister could say to them kindly, ‘Receive the Lord Jesus in your heart.’ This is not a blessing, but an invitation to worship, so no gestures are made.

“This spiritual communion would more authentically carry out the spirit of the liturgy. Being faithful to the truths of the sacramental celebration allows all of us, young and old, to enter more deeply into worship.”

Archbishop Charles Chaput

I could be wrong though haha
 
AlbertDerGrosse said:
not allowing this makes you a member of the Catholic Taliban.
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I don’t know about that, but in the days before EM’s came forward to help distribute communion, the other priests of the parish were all summoned along with the reserve altar servers and they worked the communion line like a well oiled machine. No blessings, straight communion, communicators lined up in a row.

Not saying they couldn’t have done it, its just that it would slow them down and take them off their game.
 
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